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The aim of this study is to understand the challenges related to the cross-cultural adaptation of organisational expatriates (OEs) and self-initiated expatriates (SIEs) in Brazil and to explore the tactics that OEs and SIEs use to improve their adaptation to the country. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 20 OEs and 24 SIEs with executive professional profiles, and content analyses were performed. The results indicate that foreignism, formalism, personalism and jeitinho are interconnected, and, in general, both types of expatriates face similar problems when adapting to Brazil. However, the two types of expatriates use different strategies for resolving these problems. SIEs are less critical and more willing than OEs to emulate typical Brazilian behaviours for resolving problems related to adaptation to the country. Suggestions regarding the practical implications of this study and potential future research directions are provided.
